Coastal Vote Chart Overview

ActCoastal increases the transparency and accountability of the Coastal Commission by tracking the monthly voting record of its 12 appointed members.

We do not score all votes, but select–in advance of their hearings–high-priority, high-stakes coastal development projects and issues of significant consequence to coastal conservation, environmental justice and public access to the California coast. These monthly vote charts inform the annual report card that has been prepared for over 20 years.

The chart is authored and produced by the Surfrider Foundation, Brown Girl Surf, California Coastal Protection Network, Azul and Environment California, in cooperation with California’s coastal community. 

Despite tremendous advances in environmental protection and public access over the last 50 years, the coast remains under threat from exclusionary barriers to public access, climate change impacts such as rising seas and worsening storms, and destruction of wildlife habitat from ill-considered private development. Commissioners carry great responsibility to address these challenging threats wisely and protect the public interest. If California is to preserve the unique ecological, recreational and cultural values of its coast, the Commission must deliberate and act independently of undue influence by private special interests. 

Criteria

The Coastal Commission reviews up to 1,000 projects a year. Most of these votes are not included in monthly vote charts.

We report only on those votes with the most impact on the coast or those that could set important statewide precedents or where Commissioners face intense lobbying or political pressure. We send out a meeting reminder postcard each month before the meeting with a list of items that may be scored. Subscribe to the ActCoastal newsletter to receive those notifications.

Monthly Votes and Annual Grades

Each month, the most important votes are selected and Commissioners are rated on their votes. A description of the issues affected by each vote, as well as a record of individual Commissioners’ votes (pro-coast or anti-coast) and their alternates or absence, appears in the monthly vote charts. An annual score is calculated from the Commissioner’s monthly votes. At the end of the year, these votes will be compared with official records kept by Coastal Commission staff.

Please note: any errors are the sole responsibility of the preparers.